News Archive 2007

25 November 2007

Richard Maddison, Mapex Inspection Sales & Marketing Director takes over as National Chairman of BFBi for the next 2 years.

BFBi is the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers Association which has just celebrated its centenary having been founded as the Allied Brewery Traders Association in 1907. As part of his duties as National Chairman Richard will be attending various functions, lunches and dinners around the UK and looks forward to meeting existing, new and prospective Mapex Inspection customers.

• Visit the BFBi website

31 October 2007

Highland Spring have recently purchased fill level and label inspection for one of their water bottling lines in Scotland.

Thomas Hardy, Kendal, who subcontract bottle a wide range of products from Feelgood Drinks to Kronenbourg to Schloer etc, have also opted to replace their traditional radiation-based fill level inspection with a Mapex Inspection FLO laser-based system. This system negates the need for guarding, licensing, health and safety working practices etc.

• Find out more about the FLO laser-based
  inspection system

30 August 2007

Chivas Bros. purchase two V4 high resolution colour label inspection systems for Beefeater Gin at Dumbarton and Chivas Regal at Paisley.

The V4 features high resolution image processing which allows a single camera to process images over the entire bottle height. In this instance a single camera can provide inspection over an area equivalent to that requiring 8 standard cameras within standard labelling inspection tolerances of ±2mm. Thus, the entire bottle can be viewed as one with inspection of bottle features and labels relative to each other.

The embedded Vault software allows onboard collation and presentation of performance data relative to labeller platform. This data can be made available externally by networking.

This follows the success of a similar V4 colour system at Diageo Kilmarnock.

June 2007

Mapex takes an early order from H J Heinz for a Hartness International DYNAC 7000 dynamic accumulation system; the new accumulation system will be installed to handle 400g cans between the current labelling complex and a high speed packer.

The introduction of this type of equipment to any packaging brings immediately two major contributors to increased operating efficiency.

The new DYNAC system will have the capacity to accumulate temporarily in excess of 9500 cans representing some 7 minutes true accumulation thus giving the opportunity to smooth out the expected stop / starts of this part of packaging lines.

In addition the system provides an ideal dosing system for the high speed packer with its “soft” accumulation philosophy.

For further information or to understand what DYNAC systems can bring to your party please do not hesitate to contact us.

May 2007

Mapex Inspection have booked exhibition space to showcase our products and those we represent at IBC 2007 in Manchester 1st – 3rd October.

The International Brewing Convention provides a major focal point for the world brewers with a conference programme providing an exploration of a wide range of subjects and with speakers from around the world. We will be providing details on innovative products from Mapex Inspection, Atlantium, Hartness, Kiwi Coders and Sacmi to suit brewing and packaging operations of all sizes.

For more information, visit www.ibcmanchester.org.

April 2007

We are now able to offer for sale in the UK a comprehensive, exciting portfolio of complementary products from a range of International companies. These products include products for filling, coding, labelling, conveying, accumulating, secondary packaging and shrink wrapping.

In tandem with LPS in Scotland Mapex can now offer the range of products available from Atlantium in Israel, Sacmi in Italy, Kiwi Coders in USA and Hartness International in USA. These companies are responsible for some of the most innovative beverage packaging installations in the UK over the past 2 – 3 years.

Details of the products offered by these major companies, and links directly to their websites are available in Other Products Portfolio.

March 2007

Diageo Scotland buy new Mapex Inspection equipment

Diageo Scotland buy new Mapex Inspection equipment for lines 6 and 10 at Shieldhall; 23 at Leven; 33, 38, 40 and 44 at Kilmarnock. Mapex Inspection equipment is now extensively installed on 28 of Diageo Scotland’s bottling lines working on products such as Bells, Johnnie Walker, Gordon’s, Pimms, Smirnoff and Tanqueray and on bottle sizes from 5cl to 4 litre

Mapex Inspection have installed orientation, fill level inspection, filler valve monitoring, closure control, label presence, label placement, labeller monitoring, tax strip inspection, bar code validation, colour control, case inspection, rejection and laning across the range of products and lines of Diageo Scotland.

February 2007

High speed vision capability

Mapex Inspection are pleased to launch new V4 high speed colour 2 x megapixel vision capability. This new technology provides enhanced inspection tools, colour processing at speed, high definition and a multitude of configuration options.

The 2 x megapixel capability means that one camera now has the capability of >8 standard units. Thus, a larger field of view can be examined at the same definition; or greater definition can be achieved.

The V4 brings colour image processing into sectors of the packaging market that have previously been impossible. Valid colour based inspections are now possible at speed > 1000 cpm.

Each V4 processor can support a variety of cameras in mixed configuration. Thus standard definition : megapixel : 2 x megapixel can be mixed; colour : monochrome can be mixed; and various sizes or lens mounts are available for confined space applications.

V4 offers an enhanced inspection tools portfolio and provides some backward compatibility with existing Mapex Inspection equipment in the field.

Read more information on the V4.

January 2007

Chivas Bros. invest in new equipment from Mapex

Chivas Bros. at Dumbarton (the ex-Allied Distillers site) buy 4 more Mapex FLO laser fill height detectors making a total of 13 on this site. The Dumbarton site is now fully equipped with fill height, camera based label inspection, bottle orientation and Smart rejection. Chivas Bros. also have Mapex Inspection equipment installed at their Paisley and Newbridge sites working on products such as Aberlour, Ballantines, Beefeater Gin, Chivas Regal, Glenlivet and Teachers whisky.

Manifesto

Manifesto is the Mapex Inspection newsletter.

It features new products and new product developments, new technology, recent installations, packaging technology changes, legal regulations and more.